Over a busy week of competition from Monday, Sept. 14 to Sunday, Sept. 20, William and Mary women’s and men’s golf recorded strong performances across two events in North Carolina and Maryland.
The Tribe women took second in a 15-team field at the Elon Invitational at the Alamance Country Club in Burlington, N.C., while the men tied for third out of 14 teams at The Goat, held at the Naval Academy Golf Club in Annapolis, Md.
Round one at the Elon Invitational opened with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start Monday, Sept. 14. By early afternoon, the round had finished, and the Tribe sat in solo fourth place with a combined score of 293 (+9). William and Mary freshman Abigail Avallone, who carded an even-par 71 (E), stood tied for fifth. Junior Jennifer Osborne followed close behind with a 72 (+1), while sophomores Lilly Reed Black and Reagan Garnsey also had impressive first rounds, both scoring a 74 (+3).
Avallone kept her foot on the gas in the afternoon round, carding another 71 (E). Freshman Srihitha Mandava also placed high in the round, shooting a 73 (+2). Black and Osborne shared a 74 (+3) finish for the round. These four scores brought the Tribe another 293 (+9) for the round, though a strong afternoon performance by Western Carolina pushed the Tribe back to fifth.
Tuesday’s final round belonged to Avallone, who set the pace with a 68 (-3), putting her in a three-way tie for the lowest round score of the tournament and placing her tied for first in the individual rankings. Her performance tied for the third-best 54-hole score to par in program history, while her final round scorecard tied for fifth all-time at William and Mary. Black added a third straight 74 (+3), bringing her to 222 (+9) and a tie for 14th place individually on the weekend. Osborne and freshman Tess Morris both shot 75 (+4) on the day, leading to a tied 18th 223 (+10) finish and a 240 (+17) tied 39th finish, respectively. Mandave ended with a 76 (+5), bringing her to a tie for 25th overall at 225 (+12). Garnsey closed out the lineup in 49th place, with a 233 (+20) for the weekend.
Led by Avallone’s tremendous performance, the Tribe finished the final round with a 296 (+12), placing it in a comfortable second place for the tournament with a final score of 882 (+30). This is the Tribe’s second consecutive runner-up performance, as it finished second of eight at the Tribe Invitational in Williamsburg, Va. Monday, Sept. 7 and Tuesday, Sept. 8. Elon secured the first-place spot, carding an impressive 861 (+9).
The men’s team opened play Saturday, Sept. 19 at The Goat. The Tribe came out and performed, finishing tied for third going into the afternoon round with a 289 (+5). Senior Preston Burton headlined the opener with a 69 (-2) for the morning, followed by a 72 (+1) by sophomore Eli Felty and two 74s (+3) by sophomore Talon Dingledine and junior Grady Williams. Freshman Whitty Richardson also finished strong, shooting a 75 (+4).
The Tribe surged to the top of the leaderboard in the afternoon, scoring a 281 (-3) that had William and Mary leading the tournament as the sun set. This outstanding score came from two below-par finishes on the round: a 68 (-3) by Dingledine and a 69 (-2) by Richardson. Felty recorded a 71 (E), while Burton and Williams finished 73 (+2) and 74 (+3), respectively.
In Sunday’s final round, Burton stayed hot with another 69 (-2), climbing into a tie for individual medalist honors at 211 (-2) for the tournament. Felty recorded a 73 (+2) for the day, bringing him to a tie for 12th, 216 (+3). Richardson and Dingledine followed closely, scoring a respective 74 (+3) and 77 (+6). Richardson’s 218 (+5) put him in a two-way tie for 18th, while Dingledine ended the tournament tied for 20th with a 219 (+6). Williams ended with a 78 (+7), which brought him to a 226 (+13), a tied-50th performance on the weekend.
The combined final round score of 293 (+9) for William and Mary saw the Tribe fall to a tie for third place with Saint Joseph’s at 863 (+11). The performance marked the second consecutive top-three finish for the William and Mary men’s team. George Washington took the title spot, recording an 856 (+4) at the tournament.
The women return to action Friday, Oct. 9 to Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Evie Odom Invitational at Princess Anne Country Club in Virginia Beach, Va. The men head to Farmington, Pa. Monday, Oct. 5 and Tuesday, Oct. 6 to compete in the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational at Mystic Rock Golf Course.
